Washington, DC—June 6, 2012 Aaron R. Jex, Ph.D., Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, has been presented the 2012 Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Young Investigator Award. This award honors outstanding laboratory research in clinical microbiology or antimicrobial agents. "Jex has made great contributions to the study of the molecular genetics and genomics of several parasitic species of human and veterinary importance," described Domenico Otranto, University of Bari, Italy.
Jex received his Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2000 at Vancouver Island University in British Columbia, Canada. In 2002, Jex received the Queen Elizabeth II Centennial Scholarship to pursue his Ph.D. at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, where he studied fundamental taxonomic and systematic research. Jex completed his Ph.D. in 2006 and undertook a post-doctoral research position at the University of Melbourne. In 2011 he was appointed as Lecturer in Parasitology.
Jex's broad research interests have included developing improved molecular-based tools to detect and identify human infectious species of Cryptosporidium and Giardia, utilizing whole mitochondrial genome sequences to explore the evolution and systemics of parasite nematodes, and harnessing next-generation sequencing technologies to explore the genomics and transcriptomics of parasites of global socioeconomic importance in humans and animals. Recently published in Nature, his research presented a draft assembly of the complete nuclear genome of Ascaris suum, a major parasitic nematode of swine. A. suum is a close relative of and a good model for Ascaris lumbricoides, a parasite that infects around one billion people, often causing death. "His research shows an astute mature intelligence and a wonderful combination of breadth and depth," says Peter O'Donoghue, University of Queensland. "It displays an excellent balance of conventional and contemporary technologies, particularly his use of molecular techniques to answer basic microbiological questions of clinical relevance."
In addition to fundamental research, Jex is a one of several chief investigators overseeing a major disease monitoring program sponsored by the Melbourne Water Corporation and the Australian Research Council. This program uses molecular based tools to screen animals in Melbourne's water catchments for a variety of zoonotic pathogens, including species of Cryptosporidium and Giardia. This research is an important component of Melbourne Water Corporation's strategic plan to ensure drinking water safety for Melbourne's population of four million people, and has "yielded important outcomes, most clearly illustrated in the contribution of data of key importance in preventing a boil water alert for Melbourne in 2007," explains his nominator, Robin Gasser of the University of Melbourne.
Evidence of Jex's highly productive research can be found in more than sixty original research or review articles in a range of international, peer-reviewed scientific journals. Together with a number of international colleagues, he has also written two book chapters. Jex's research has been supported by bodies, including the Australian Research Council, the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, Water Quality Research Australia, the Melbourne Water Corporation, the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology, the Australian Society for Parasitology, the Genetics Society of Australasia, and the National Academy of Research Fellows. He has won a number of awards, including the Peter Nansen Young Scientist Award from the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology, the Vancouver Island University's Alumni Horizon Award and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia's 2010 Achievement Award. He also participates as an active reviewer of manuscripts for several scientific publications, as Guest Editor for PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, and grants for the Australian Research Council and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia.
"Jex is an exceptional scientist; dedicated, motivated, extremely capable, and disarmingly enthusiastic," summarizes O'Donoghue.
To view Dr. Jex's biosketch, please visit: http://www.asm.org/index.php/awards-grants/current-siemens-healthcare-diagnostics-young-investigator-award-laureate.html
The Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Young Investigator Award will be presented during the 112th General Meeting of the ASM, June 16 - 19, 2012 in San Francisco, California. ASM is the world's oldest and largest life science organization and has more than 40,000 members worldwide. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences and promote the use of scientific knowledge for improved health and economic and environmental well‐being.